Teaching

Studying Environmental Psychology

We teach Environmental Psychology courses at the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels.
Examples include the lecture “Planetary Health,” the TEWA course “What Do We Really Need?”, the MSc seminars “Risk Perception and Communication in Environmental Psychology” and “Individual and Collective Pro-Environmental Behaviour,” as well as the BSc practical research seminar “Environmental Influences on Individuals’ Cognitions and Emotions: An Experimental Approach.”

Please refer to u:find for the most recent courses.

Writing your master´s thesis at the Environmental Psychology Group

•    A new cohort will start in the winter semester 2026
•    Approximately 15 free spots
•    Supervised by Sabine Pahl and Nina Vaupotič
•    Format: individual or in teams (e.g. developing an idea together, collaboration in data collection; in both cases, the thesis must be written and submitted individually)
•    Seminar: combination of basic input from lecturers about the structure of your thesis, development of ideas in class, individual meetings (30-minute slots), student presentations in class
•    Topic of the thesis: Environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution are difficult to address. They are complex and abstract, often trigger anxiety or anger, have multiple causes and solutions, and are shaped by many different actors. These challenges are also characterised by conflicting information and misinformation, systemic interdependencies, uncertainty and impacts that may feel distant in time and space. Issues of fairness, responsibility, causes and consequences are often central.

This question can be investigated by analysing a secondary dataset (N = 5201 individuals from Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland) from the SOS-ZEROPOL project to study topics such as systems thinking, techno-optimism, trust in regulators and labels, and support for environmental policies in the context of pollution (several constructs and items that can potentially be explored). Alternatively, students may conduct an original empirical study in which they examine psychological barriers and facilitators of engagement with complex environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Possible research questions include…
1.    How techno-optimistic are people and what shapes their techno-optimism? For example, is it influenced by media, scientists, politicians or other people?
2.    Does perceived uncertainty or complexity lead to lower self-efficacy or to a search for simple solutions?
3.    Who is better equipped to deal with complexity, and why?
4.    What is the role of systems thinking, tolerance of ambiguity and resilience?
5.    Who is especially vulnerable when dealing with complexity and uncertainty?
6.    Can systems thinking be increased experimentally? If so, does it help or hinder efficacy and adaptive behaviour?
7.    Which communication contents and sources can increase support for environmental policies?

This question can be investigated through experimental designs or cross-sectional surveys. We are particularly interested in encouraging more experimental work, for example by comparing different conditions in a random allocation design and potentially examining additional moderators. For example, an experimental manipulation could induce loneliness versus social connectedness and compare the effects on environmental behaviour.

Possible research questions include…
1.    Is loneliness vs. social connectedness linked to environmental outcomes?
2.    Does disclosing environmental concerns and emotions lead to action?
3.    How can we encourage more constructive climate conversations and/or counter misinformation?
4.    When are sustainable lifestyles socially approved/disapproved, 'cool/uncool'?
5.    How are different types of traits/states of well-being linked to environmental outcomes?
6.    What is the role of self-determination in motivating people to take environmental action?
7.    Does perceived unfairness/inequality motivate people to take environmental action?
8.    What is the role of political orientation, e.g. with regard to a perceived loss of freedom due to environmental measures?
9.    Rapid progress in digital technologies (e.g. AI) as an environmental challenge.

•    Feel free to contact us, if you have a very concrete idea for a study beyond these topics, possibly related to an internship, the work in the Environmental Psychology Group, a seminar or your own professional network.
•    To apply, please send an overview of your grades (transcript of records) as well as (a) short research proposal(s) (1 page maximum) to env.psychology@univie.ac.at
•    Deadline: 20 July 2026